Pages in this set

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The Design (Teleological) Argument for
the Existence of God
The teleological argument (from the Greek telos, meaning `end' or `purpose') became one of
the classical arguments of natural theology. It is based on the contention that there is
evidence of order, purpose and design in the universe and in life.…

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Design Qua Purpose
This aspect of the argument looks at design in relation to the ways in which the parts of the universe
appear to fit together for some purpose. The universe is compared to a man-made machine in which
a designer fits all the parts together for a specific…

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random manner, then the television would not function. Similarly, there are complex arrangement
within nature that have been fitted together by a designer for special purposes.

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William Paley
The first part of Paley's argument was design qua purpose. Paley put forward the argument for
design in the form of a simple analogy. If we came across a watch, we would conclude that all the
parts fitted together for a purpose and did not come into existence…

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because of the way in which things fit together for a purpose. For example, Paley thought that a
similar conclusion might be drawn from the intricate mechanisms of the human beings.
Paley used the example of the eye and the way in which it is adapted for sight. Its various…

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John Stuart Mill

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John Stuart Mill focused on a criticism that Hume had
identified earlier. This was the occurrence of disorder in the universe. Mill thought that the
Universe is not a pleasant place. He saw instances of events which, if carried out by a
Human, would be punished with the full force…

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existence of God, but rather that God is not the unlimited omnipotent being that traditional
Christianity has taught.

Charles Darwin
These are arguments for Design qua Purpose, appearing to argue that the universe works to
some preordained purpose. Hume compares the universe to a machine, and then prefers to
compare…